


Murphy's Law

by Michysminions (MichysMinions)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, kidnap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-15 09:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1299676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichysMinions/pseuds/Michysminions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Fitz and Simmons find themselves captured and alone. Will they be able to protect one another from the danger that awaits them? Will they be able to survive long enough to escape or have their friends come to their aide? FitzSimmons, with whole team involvement. Hope you enjoy! Set during Season 1. Rated T for violence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not cool enough to actually own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's awesome characters.

**Chapter One**

 

The room was dark, the only light coming from a small lamp hanging in the corner of the room, the light shining through the dust that hung in the air.  Jemma Simmons opened her eyes, her head throbbing.  Slowly she picked herself up off the floor, pushing her body to a sitting position. She didn’t know how she got there. She didn’t even know where _there_ was. The sights around her were foreign. The walls were a gray stone and the floor was covered in dirt.  The only thing that gave her any clue to where she was were the bars that were lining two of the walls. 

Jemma Simmons was a prison cell. 

Panic began to rise in her as she looked around the cell.  If she didn’t know any better she would have thought that she was on the set of a pirate movie. She kept waiting to see a dog run out holding a ring full of keys.  _Where was she?_ She gingerly got up from her position on the floor and walked up to the bars that separated her and the hallway. Putting both hands on the bars she shook them hard, but despite the ancient look of the cell, the bars were firmly in place.  She shook the bars one more time out of desperation before conceding that they would not budge. Wherever she was, she was trapped and she couldn’t see any way out of it.

Jemma crossed the room as fast as she could and moved to the bars that separated the adjoining cell.  Fitz was lying on the floor, completely passed out. “Fitz!” Jemma screamed, trying to wake her best friend and partner.  A cold rush of fear went over her.  _No.  No. Fitz had to be okay._ Jemma didn’t know what she would do if he wasn’t okay. 

“Fitz!”  She screamed one more, falling to her knees in front of the bars of the cell. She reached her arm through the bars, stretching her arm as far as she could, trying to grab him. He was just in reach, her fingers clasped around his shirt, pulling at the fabric.  “Fitz, please,” she pleaded with him, the desperation and fear in her voice evident. 

“Jemma?”

“Oh, Thank God,” she sighed in relief. Fitz turned over to face Jemma. His clothes were covered in dirt and blood was caked in a cut on his forehead.  Jemma’s hand reflexively gripped his shirt harder as she took in his dirty, beaten appearance. 

“What happened?”  Fitz asked; his eyes filled with confusion as he took in the sights around them.  “Jemma, where are we?” His eyes found hers, staring deep into them as he asked the questions that Jemma couldn’t answer; the very questions she had been wondering herself.

“I don’t know,” she cried, her voice high in desperation. “I don’t know where we are or how we got here.”

Fitz moved closer to the bars of the cell, moving his hand to firmly grip the hand she had placed through the bars. She moved her other hand through the bars, allowing him to take that one too.  His touch was comforting, but it didn’t stop fear from coursing through her body.  “Fitz, what are we going to do?”

“It’s going to be okay,” he said, giving her a reassuring smile.  How was it that he could stay calm when she was a bloody wreck?

“How, Fitz?”  She asked, her eyes searching his. 

“We’re together.  We will get through this.  We’ve been in tighter spots before.”

Despite herself, she felt a small, tight smile tug on the side of her lips.  She knew he was right; they had been in tighter spots, both together and alone. They could get through this. They _had_ to get through this.  “You are right.  Surely the others are already on their way, out looking for us.”  Jemma tried to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke, not wanting to think about the possibility that the rest of the team could be in cells themselves. “I pushed on the bars, they seem sturdy.”

“Well, everything has a weakness.” Fitz said, hoping up from the floor and making his way over to the jail door.  “We just have to find it.”  He gave her a smile, his eyes lit with the possibility of a new challenge.

Jemma made her way to the door herself, watching as Fitz began moving around it slowly, checking out every facet of the door and the mechanisms that kept it locked in place.  Jemma took relief in the knowledge that if anyone would be able to find a way to break open the door, it was Fitz.  She could already see his engineering mind working as he examined every possible outcome.  “If we wedge something big under the door, maybe we could lift it off the hinges.”

“This isn’t _Pirates of the Caribbean_ , Simmons.” Fitz replied, still inspecting the door. “Besides, what do you suggest we use?”

“Well, excuse me for trying to come up with some sort of plan.  Do you have a better idea?”

“No.” 

Jemma’s shoulders stooped as she paced around, kicking dirt was she walked.  “Like you said,” she began, trying to keep the optimism that Fitz had in the beginning. “Someone is on their way.”

“I hope you’re right,” Fitz said as he crumpled back down into the dirt.

“Now, don’t you start that,” Jemma admonished him, “I was the total mess, you were the optimistic one.  You aren’t allowed to turn the tables on me.” She sat back down next to the bars, putting her hand back through and placing it on his knee. “It will all work…”

But Jemma didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. They both heard the sound of a door opening come from the far end of the hall, followed by the loud stomping of boots. Jemma hopped back up from her spot, moving back against the far wall.  Fitz had followed suit.  They were still next to each other, the bars the only thing separating them, but their backs were up against the stone wall. 

“Hello,” came a voice as a man moved from around the corner.  Jemma could hear a slight German accent in his voice.  She looked at Fitz, her eyes filled with fresh fear.  Fitz’s jaw was set, a look of determination in his eyes. The man chuckled lightly. “There is no reason to be afraid, not if you give me the information I want.”

“And what information is that?” Fitz replied back, his voice steady, but slightly higher in pitch then normal.

“I want to know how you stabilized the Extremis in Mike Peterson.”  The man’s eyes moved between Fitz and Simmons, carefully watching them. 

“That is classified information.” Fitz replied, his voice giving way to a small shake. 

Jemma looked at Fitz again, her eyes wide in fear. She didn’t even know how they had stabilized the Extremis, only that they had.  It wasn’t until Mike Peterson had told them that they even knew they had something to do with it – or at least that the night-night gun did. Something in the dendrotoxin had stopped the Extremis from becoming unstable, but they hadn’t had time to fully examine why that was.  “We can’t help you.” Jemma said, her voice full of desperation.

“I beg to differ,” came the simple response of the unknown man.  “I think you will change your mind soon enough.”  He walked towards the cell where Fitz was and looked off to the side.  “Open it.”

Two men dressed completely in black made their way out of the shadows and towards the door to Fitz’s cell. Jemma could see each of them was carrying multiple guns.  They opened the door, flanking the other man as he entered Fitz’s cell. The door slammed shut behind them. Jemma could feel her heart pounding as they made their way to Fitz.  Fitz looked over to Jemma once more, the fear in his eyes clear as day, before he turned to look at the men coming towards him.  “We can’t help you.”

The other man just chuckled, a horrid laugh that filled the whole room, chilling Jemma to the bone.  “I think we can find a way to change that,” the man gave a curt nod to his companions.

Jemma watched in horror as one of them brought out a rod.  The end was suddenly sparking with electricity. The man swung the rod, hitting Fitz square in the back.  Jemma screamed and threw herself against the bars separating them, watching as Fitz’s body convulsed.  The man pulled the rod back, before jabbing it once more at Fitz, sending him down on all fours in the dirt.  Tears began flooding down Jemma’s face as she shook the bars with all of her strength, wishing she could get to Fitz some how, some way.  But there was nothing Jemma could do to stop the man from continuing to hit Fitz.

“I will never help you,” Fitz spat, his head slowly moving to look at Jemma, who had fallen down the bars to be right in front of him. Her eyes were bloodshot and her throat raw from screaming.  “Do whatever you want to me, but I will never help you.”  Fitz looked straight in her eyes, silently pleading with her, but not pleading with her to stop them, but to remain silent herself.  Whoever these men were could not get the information they wanted.

“Very well then; let us try a different tactic,” Jemma looked up at the man speaking, her eyes now filling with a hatred she rarely felt.  “You may not care what happens to you, but what about your little girlfriend?” 

Jemma turned to see two more men, in identical gear as the others, walk into her cell.  One pulled a rod identical to the one that was used on Fitz and grabbed her roughly off the floor. 

The man looked from Jemma over to Fitz, “Last chance.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**Six Hours Before**

“Fitz! Come on!”

Leopold Fitz ignored the pleas of his best friend and partner and continued inspecting his work.  He took a soldering torch and added one last finishing touch, smiling at his achievement.  Finally he put the torch down and looked up at Jemma.  “What is this all about Simmons?  Usually _I_ am the one having to pull you out of the lab.”

“We have been stuck on this plane for days. Our mission is done and we are leaving Germany in eight hours.  Coulson gave us the green light to go explore,” Jemma replied eagerly.

“Didn’t you already see enough of Germany?” He asked incredulously.  “We have spent the last week chasing down...”

“That doesn’t count,” she said back, cutting him off. “We signed up for this job so we could see the world.”

“Correction, I believe _you_ signed us up for this.”

“And you followed me, so _come on!_ ”  She gave him an excited look that Fitz couldn’t help but smile at. 

“All right, let me get my stuff,” he said, admitting defeat.  He placed his latest project on the shelf and walked towards the exit of the lab. Jemma gave him a bright smile as she walked up to him, linking her arm in his.  Fitz felt a tingle go up his arm as he felt the heat of her body as she moved in close to him.  He could smell the light scent from her shampoo, floral and soft, perfect for Jemma. He felt the tips of his ears go pink out of embarrassment for the thoughts rolling in his head, but Jemma didn’t notice – she was already off, talking about all of the things that they could see in their few hours of freedom. 

The Bus was parked close to a small German town. It was a quaint village, dappled with cottages that looked right out a tourist pamphlet. However, the town was still filled with the twenty first century sights and sounds of blinking signs and advertisements and busy car traffic.  

Fitz smiled as he watched the joy and amusement light up Jemma’s face.  He had never wanted to see the world, he was just as happy sitting in the lab, but he wouldn’t trade anything for the chance to watch Jemma see the world. 

“What?” She said, looking at him with a quizzical look on her face.  

“Nothing,” he replied, shaking himself out of his reverie and pasting the smile on his face that he had perfected over the years. Years of telling everyone – his friends, his family, his teammates and even _himself_ – that there was nothing going on between he and Jemma, that they were best-friends and partners and nothing more.  Years of watching Jemma return her own friendly smile, which was full of support and friendship, but not knowing if she would ever feel the same things he did. 

“Good, what do you want to do first?” 

Fitz let Jemma sent all over the little town. He had to pull her out of a small toyshop, where she bought a handmade Käthe Kruse doll to send home to her mother. She in turn had to drag him out of a wooden clock shop, where he was marveling over the engineering and design that went into the Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks.  They seemed so simple, yet the design was flawless and elegant. Even after years of engineering work, Fitz was impressed with the craftsmanship that went into the ornate clocks. 

As usual when they were out together, they had a great time exploring the culture and sights of the town.  Fitz never saw the man that had been following them as they meandered through the streets, not until someone else stopped them. 

“Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz?” 

Fitz looked between Jemma and the unknown man.  “I’m sorry, we need to be going,” he began, but as he turned he saw the other man.  They had cornered them down a short alleyway that was obscured from the street. Fitz noticed a small delivery truck parked down at the end of the alley. 

“I’m sorry, we can’t let you do that.” 

Fitz tried to run, but a short scream at his side turned him around just in time to see Jemma crumple to the floor.  Fitz turned to fight, but he felt a something impact the front of his head. He had just enough time to feel blood begin rolling down his face from the cut on his head, before he fell down in a heap next to Jemma.

  

~*~*~*~ 

**NOW**

“Last Chance.” 

“No, stop!” Fitz yelled from his spot on the floor. “Don’t touch her.” 

“Then tell me what I want to know,” the man replied lazily, almost like the sight of the two screaming scientists bored him.

Fitz stammered, his mouth was open but no words came out.  He looked up at Jemma, his eyes meeting hers.  She was shaking her head no, almost incoherently, but her eyes were bloodshot and tears had already begun to stain her cheeks.  Fitz couldn’t let her be hurt; he couldn’t sit and watch as they tortured her. It was different when it was him that they were hurting, he could handle the pain, but he couldn’t handle _this._   The night night gun.  That had stabilized Mike Peterson.  He could make one for them.  But that was just as unthinkable as watching Jemma be hurt.  He couldn’t give away SHIELD secrets.  He could never forgive himself.  _Jemma_ would never forgive him. 

“Too late.” 

The man holding Jemma pushed her to the floor, pressing the electric rod into her side. She convulsed uncontrollably, her face twisted in pain.  “Jemma!” Fitz screamed, trying to move closer to the bars, but the pain radiating through his own body was still too intense to allow him to move easily.  “Stop! Jemma!” 

But Fitz was still not giving them the information they wanted to hear.  The man with the rod swung it back again, hitting Jemma in the shoulder and sending electricity pounding through her body.  There was nothing that Fitz could do to stop it – not without handing SHIELD secrets over to the enemy.  They had come from SciTech, not Operations, but they still were taught how to hold up in torture. 

“Who are you?” Fitz asked, his voice filled with venom. He turned his head to look at the man behind him.  “Are you with Centipede?” 

“Centipede?” The man repeated, his voice filled with amusement.  “My dear boy, don’t be naïve.  You don’t really think they are the only ones that have realized the potential of Extremis. Centipede may have the most backing, but they are not the only ones out there.”  

The man walked closer to Fitz, crouching down and putting his hand on his shoulder.  Fitz tried to move away from him, but he was so close to the bars that there was nowhere he could go.  The pressure from the man’s hand only helped intensify the pain that had wracked Fitz’s nervous system.  He managed a small glance at Jemma who was on the floor shaking, but at least the man with the rod had not hit her again.  “SHIELD will find you, just like they found Centipede,” he spit back at the man, looking him in the eyes.

“We have done a good job staying off of SHIELD’s radar until now,” the man replied as he stood back up.  But when you came so close, we knew we needed your help to fix our last little problem.  When we are done here, we will fade back into the shadows.  The only question is, will you have survived?” 

“We won’t help!” Jemma cried, her voice completely broken. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” the man said back, his voice filled with confidence.  He looked straight at Fitz as he spoke, an evil smile on his face.  “This one looks like he is about to break.” 

With a curt head nod, Jemma was once again hit with the electric rod, causing her to scream and writhe in agony. And all Fitz could do was watch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The mission was over. They had saved the world yet again. Okay… not really. No, in fact, sometimes the likelihood of saving the world felt like it was falling further and further away from Agent Phil Coulson’s hands. Mike Peterson was dead and Centipede always seemed to be one step ahead of them. Not to mention the truth behind what had happened in ‘Tahiti’ had finally come to light. 

Sometimes Coulson wished he could go back to not knowing, to dreaming of a beautiful island where he was getting to relax for the first time in his life. He wished he could hear the rushing waves again, instead of the beeping of machines. He wanted to smell the salty air instead of his own blood. He wanted the blissful memories of Tahiti. 

But they were gone.

Instead, he had the truth. For the first time in a life and career built on lies and secrets he wanted nothing to do with them. He was tired of hiding behind a smoke screen, ready for once to live his life free of lies. No matter what any one tried to tell him, Phil Coulson was a changed man. 

But he didn’t have time to think about that. He had more pressing matters to worry about, and right now that was the location of his two scientists. Coulson thought he was doing his team a favor when he had given them a chance to go out there own and relax for a few hours. But like many things in Coulson’s life now, nothing seemed to be going right. What did they call that – Murphy’s Law?

“Do you have any leads?” Melinda May’s voice was calm, her face stoic as usual, but Coulson could see a flicker of concern in her eyes. 

“Nothing. It is not like them to be two hours late,” Coulson replied, looking around at the rest of his team. 

“We need to go get them.” Skye said, her voice rising in panic. “Maybe we can track their movements through the town.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Coulson replied with a curt nod to Skye. “May and I will go down to the town and take a look around.” 

“-Sir-”

“-Coulson-”

“-We can help-“

“-You need us up there-“

Both Skye and Ward objected at the same time. Coulson closed his eyes and held his hands up, keeping his calm. He looked at both of them, seeing the worry and fear in their eyes. He was glad to see that they cared for the other members of the team just as much as he did. It was that which set them above and beyond other SHIELD units. They were a team. He managed a small, comforting smile as he looked at them. “I know you can help.” He put a hand on Skye’s shoulder. “That’s why I need you here. I need you to man the coms, just in case they try to contact us. Maybe you can find something on your end. It is just as important that we have someone here as it is that we have someone out in the town.”

Coulson looked over at Ward and gave him a curt nod. His eyes said everything he needed to portray and he was sure that Ward got the message. Watch her; make sure nothing else happens to our team. 

With barely a glance in May’s direction, the woman was ready to go. It was time to get their team back together. 

 

~*~*~

 

“Can I sit here?”

Jemma Simmons looked up from her microscope into the face of a young, curly haired boy. He looked about the same age as her, which, in a sea of older students, was a relief. She gave him a friendly smile. “Of course, please.” She moved the books that she had strewn across the other half of the desk, giving him room to sit. 

“May I see that?” The boy asked curiously, looking at the microscope in front of her. 

She moved to the side, giving him access to the eyepiece. The entire time he looked through the microscope she watched him, amazed at how she could see him think, like she could actually see the wheels in his head turning. It was the same look of concentration she had on her face when she worked. 

“That is brilliant.” 

“Sorry, what?” Jemma hadn’t even noticed that the boy had looked up from the microscope and had started leafing through the papers she had been working on. She blushed when she noticed she had still been staring at him, but he was already off, talking about some idea he had and how her work could compliment it. 

“This is brilliant,” he repeated. He stuck out his hand, like he wasn’t used to talking to people the way he just had. “Fitz. Leopold Fitz.”

Jemma searched him with her eyes for a split second before a smile widened on her face. She took his hand in hers, “Jemma Simmons.”

“Jemma!”

Stars danced in front of her eyes as she looked up. The same curly head boy was looking back at her, but his face was different. It was no longer filled with the hopes and dreams of a young schoolboy; instead it was filled with pain and knowledge of a hard world, a hard world that they had discovered together. Tears had streaked his face and his eyes were filled with emotions that Jemma didn’t recognize. 

Where was she? Why was Fitz screaming?

Pain like she had never known was coursing through her body and everything came back to her in an instant. The cell. The unknown German man. Mike Peterson. Extremis. They wanted the Night Night gun technology, but they couldn’t let them have it. 

“We won’t tell you anything,” Jemma said weakly, barely able to keep conscious. Her body was limp as she was hit again. She let out a cry of pain, but it was nothing compared to the blood-curdling roar that came out of Fitz’s mouth. He was clawing at the bars, trying to get through them. Trying to get to her. The look on his face was murderous, nothing that she had ever seen before. They had been together, side-by-side forever. She thought she knew everything about him. But the look on his face was new. She watched as he shook the bars as if he could break through them with his bare hands. 

The light was getting dimmer again and her head spun violently. She looked at Fitz, trying to show him that it was all okay, that whatever happened he needed to stay strong. She felt her body impacted once more, sending her back into darkness. 

All the while the German man stood in the shadows and laughed. 

Laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! Please leave a review!


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Laughed. 

Fitz heard Jemma’s laugh ring out through the busy Boiler Room. He smiled as he saw Jemma talking with one of her girl friends. He was about to go up and say hello to the girls, but the sound of his name stopped him dead in his tracks. 

“Fitz? You think Fitz fancies me?” 

“Of course he does.”

“Oh, stop. There is no way,” Jemma exclaimed, “We are just friends.”

“I don’t believe you, He fancies you, and you fancy him.”

“No… no… We are just friends,” she repeated. “Best Friends.”

“Then why have you never had a boyfriend?”

Fitz stayed completely still, sure that he was not supposed to be listening in on this conversation. But now he had to know, had to know her answer. He knew the reason why he hoped she had never had a boyfriend, the same reason why he had never had a girlfriend, because he was pathetically pining over his partner and best friend. Fitz looked around the corner, but the two girls hadn’t spotted him. 

“I don’t have time for a boyfriend. I’m here to learn, to study. I don’t have time for a boyfriend, I have too many things to do.”

“Too many things to do with Fitz.”

“That’s work,” Jemma exclaimed. “We work together.”

“Then prove it.” Her friend replied, standing up from the bar stool. “Go talk to that guy.” 

Fitz followed their gaze, seeing a male student playing darts. Jemma had to know she was way out of that guy’s league, right? But would she think that? He was tall, built more like someone from operations than from SciTech. Compared to Fitz, who was scrawny and baby faced. Would Jemma actually go for it?

“No, I couldn’t possibly.”

Fitz took a sigh of relief, but it didn’t last for long. 

“Come on!” The girl grabbed Jemma by the arm and pulled her over to the dartboard. “I would like to introduce you to Jemma Simmons.” 

“Hello,” Jemma replied. “I’m Jemma Simmons.”

“Adam Wingfield,” the other man replied. “Would you like to play some darts?”

“I’ve never played before, actually.”

“That’s okay, I’ll teach you.”

To Fitz’s horror he moved around her, cradling her from behind and moving her arm in the proper position to throw the dart. Fitz couldn’t stand it; he couldn’t stand it for one bit. Fitz moved from his spot on the side of the bar and stalked across the floor. “Jemma, I need you.”

“You, what?” Jemma exclaimed; her arm still suspended by the other man, a dart in her hand. 

“I need you to come with me, there is a problem with the bots.” Fitz replied quickly, but his eyes drifted to the other man. His eyes were filled with jealousy, and from the smirk on the other guys face Fitz could tell that he saw it. The other guy was looking Fitz up and down, clearly sizing him up. Fitz didn’t back down, trying to puff himself up so he looked bigger than his usual self. Fitz’s jaw was set, his eyes piercing into the other guys, but he just laughed. It was obvious he didn’t think Fitz stood any chance again. 

But he was wrong. 

Though unfortunately it wasn’t Fitz that had gotten her to move away from the other guy, but what he had said. Jemma was already moving away from him, placing the dart on the table. 

“Who is it? Is it happy again? Don’t tell me it’s Dopey.” Jemma was in her own little world, worrying about the bots that didn’t even have a problem. She hadn’t seen the stare down that had gone down between Fitz and the other guy. No, she wasn’t leaving him because of Fitz, but at least she was leaving. 

Fitz shot the man a satisfied look before he put his arm over Jemma’s shoulder, leading her out of the Boiler Room and trying to think of how he was going to fake a problem with one of the bots. 

A small yelp of pain jolted Fitz out of his daydream. The men had left about an hour ago. Jemma was laying unconscious right on the other side of the bars. Fitz had tried to reach his hands through the bars so he could touch her, but she was just out of reach. Instead he had to be content with watching her body move up and down with labored breaths, at least glad to know she was alive. Jemma moaned in pain once more, turning over slightly. 

“Jemma?” Fitz asked quietly, his voice shaking. 

“Fitz?” 

Fitz sighed in relief when he heard her voice. “They are gone. Everything’s okay.” Fitz said, trying to stay positive even though every ounce of him wanted to scream in fury. 

“They will be back, they haven’t gotten what they want,” Jemma replied. He could see the pain on her face as she moved to look at him. She moved her hand close to the bars, which Fitz quickly took in his own hand. “You didn’t, right? You didn’t give them what they wanted?”

No, Fitz hadn’t said anything, despite how much he wanted to. He had screamed at them to stop, desperate for them to stop hurting her. But he never gave them what they wanted. Did Jemma really think he would? Did she really think that he would betray SHIELD’s trust? Her trust? But he had wanted to. Deep down he knew he should have. Whatever it took to stop them from hurting her. What would have happened if he had talked? Would she have realized he would have done it for her?

Suddenly Fitz was filled with anger as he looked at her accusatory face. The fear and anger bubbled up and flowed out of him. “Dammit Jemma, would that have been so bad? They were torturing you, killing you!” His voice was high and loud, his eyes filled with too many emotions to count. 

“Me! They were torturing me!” she said back, her voice getting stronger despite her frail body. She pulled her hand out of his, staring back at him in disbelief. 

“Do you know how hard that was for me to watch?” Fitz exclaimed, “I would rather them torture me, kill me!” 

“All you had to do was stay quiet. Keep your mouth shut and keep the vows that we made SHIELD.” 

“SHIELD. Do you think I give a damn about SHIELD right now? What about the vows I made you? What about when I told you that I would be by your side forever. That we would fix things together.” Fitz’s chest was heaving; fresh waves of tears streaking down his face. She still didn’t get it. She still didn’t see. She had missed every look, every moment. Things hadn’t changed a single bit from their days at the Academy. They were still friends. Best friends. And she was still more interested in their work than him. 

“I didn’t tell them a single thing. And it damn well almost killed me not to.” He looked at her, seeing tears in her own eyes. Maybe for once she would look at him, see the emotions on his face, instead of looking through him. Perhaps she could understand how hard it was for him to watch her in danger. Then maybe, just maybe, she would understand how much he cared for her. He turned away, looking at the wall in defeat. 

“Fitz?” 

She moved her hand back to his, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Fitz looked back at Jemma. He was speechless, not sure what else to say. He hadn’t meant to yell, but it was all just getting to be too much. He looked at her imploringly, hoping she understood where his anger was coming from.  
“Thank you.”

Fitz sighed. “I promise I won’t break. I won’t say anything. I give you my word.”

“No,” Jemma replied, a look in her eyes he almost didn’t recognize, a look that went beyond friendship. “Thank you for being by my side once again. You have always been there. I don’t know what I would do without you. I know you will do the right thing.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

Coulson and May went up and down the streets of the small German town. Armed with a small SHIELD photo of Fitz and Simmons they began going into shops, asking the owners if they recognized the pair. Their first valuable lead was the owner of a toyshop who had sold Jemma a doll. From there they were able to track their movements around the small town. 

“Skye?” Coulson asked, getting her on the com. “I need you to get into the security footage of a couple of places. See if you can catch anyone following them from place to place.”

“Sure thing, boss,” came the quick reply.

May was looking around, carefully inspecting everything around them. Coulson walked up to her, watching her closely. “You getting anything?” Coulson asked hopefully. He had worked with May enough to know that her instincts were far superior over anyone else. 

“Nothing,” she replied, her voice tight. “But they didn’t leave here themselves.”

“I know,” was all Coulson could say.

“I think I found something.” Skye’s voice came over the com.

“Go ahead.”

“I went through the footage from both the toy store and the clock place around the time that the employees IDed them. There was a guy with them both times, and lets just say he wasn’t there to purchase anything. I caught him on the outside feed from a jewelry store following them down the street. Unfortunately the trail ends there. They disappeared into a black out zone and never reappeared.”

“Were you able to identify the man?”

“Yes, his name is Anton Kraus. Looks like he is just a low level thug.”

“Keep digging. It looks like we have a place to start.”


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

The cell was silent as Jemma and Fitz slept on the dirt floor.  Fitz's arm was through the bars, his hand still wrapped in Jemma's as they slept.  Jemma opened her eyes, but didn't move from her spot on the floor.  Pain still electrified every nerve in her body.  She took shallow breaths, trying to keep from moving.  She just laid on the dirt floor, wishing that they could be anywhere other than the cell that they were in.  She imagined that she was in her bunk, Fitz by her side, completely out of harms way.  

Maybe Fitz had been right; maybe they were never cut out to be in the field.  Maybe they should have just stayed in the lab.  Would Agent Ward have allowed himself to be captured?  Agent May?  She and Fitz were scientists not soldiers.  Jemma turned her head towards the sleeping Fitz.  She never should have dragged them into this.  She wanted to see the world, and now they may die over it.

Fitz moved, shifting as he woke.  He opened his eyes blearily, looking strait at Jemma.  "Jemma?  Are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied, giving him a weak smile.

Fitz didn't return her smile, only giving her back a pained, fearful expression.  He knew the same thing that she did; he knew that they were trapped and currently had no chance of escape.  “We need a plan,” he said finally, his voice quiet.  “There has to be something we can do.”

“What?” Jemma asked.  “What options do we have?”

“I don’t know.”  The defeated look on Fitz’s face was almost unbearable for Jemma to look at.

“We will think of something, we always do.”  She squeezed his hand comforting, but a tear rolled silently down her cheek.  

Heavy footsteps came from the hall outside the cell.  Jemma’s body tensed, knowing what was soon to come.  Fitz squeezed her hand back as he sat up.  She followed, gingerly moving from her spot to sit up.  Terror wracked her body.  They were coming back, still trying to get the information that they had.  Pain would come soon.  And Jemma knew that soon pain wouldn’t be enough.  If they didn’t get the information they wanted… pain wouldn’t be enough.

Jemma looked over at Fitz for a split second, her eyes filled with fear, before turning to face the men that were walking into the cells.  Two of them walked into Jemma’s cell, the other into Fitz’s cell.  Jemma looked around, not seeing the German man that they had been with before, but that didn’t mean they were any less prepared.  They were still carrying guns and the electric rods that Jemma was all to familiar with.  Finally dropping Fitz’s hand, Jemma stood up backing all the way up to wall.

“Ready to talk?”  One of the men in Jemma’s cell asked gruffly.

“No”

“Never."

Jemma and Fitz spoke at the same time, giving the same answer - the answer the men didn’t want to hear.  They wouldn’t talk, no matter what the men did.  

“Sorry it couldn’t be different.”  Sparks of electricity danced on the end of the rod as he raised it from his side.  Jemma looked at Fitz; the man in his cell was moving towards him.  A second later she felt the rod hit her again.  The electricity surged once more through her body, lighting her nerves on fire.  Her muscles tensed, sending her back into the wall.  She knew good and well that her body could not take much more of this.  They were only hitting her with low levels of electricity, but it could very quickly cause heart fibrillation or worse.  

She screamed in pain, her body crumpling once more to the floor.  

_________________

 

Anton Kraus.  It was the best lead that they had gotten since Fitz and Simmons disappeared.  Coulson and May continued to walk the streets of the small German town to the blackout point that Skye had mentioned.  They saw a short alley way.  It was void of cameras and away from the onlooking of the tourists.  They stopped, looking around the alley way.  

“Coulson.”

Coulson moved to where May was calling him.  She had crouched down to pick up a bag.  Inside the bag was a handmade doll like the ones that they had seen Simmons purchase at the doll shop.  “This is Simmons,” Coulson said, stating the obvious.

“Then where is Simmons?  And Fitz?” May asked, the smallest amount of concern flickering over her features. 

“I don’t know.”  Coulson looked around the alley way, not seeing any more leads. “Skye? Have any thing?”

“I think so,” came the com response. 

“We are coming back,” he replied, turning to May.  “Let’s go.”

It didn’t take them long to get back onto the Bus, both he and May striding towards the others quickly.  “What do you have?” He asked, looking straight at Skye.  

Looking at one of the screens, she showed them a picture of Anton Kraus.  “Kraus is just a low level thug,” she said, pointing to the picture.  “But every thug has someone he is working for.  This…”  She pulled up another picture, showing it next to Kraus. “…is Benedikt Daecher.  He is a German business men who, from what I could find, looks like he has been getting into some very dangerous businesses.”

“Is he working with Centipede?”

“It doesn’t look like it, at least I don’t see any ties to him and any known Centipede operatives.  But it looks like he has some similar interests as Centipede.  His financials show that he has ordered materials needed in the creation of Extremis.  He hid it well, routing it through various companies, but… well…” She shot a self satisfied smile in Coulson’s direction.  “He couldn’t hide forever.”

“So Daecher has gotten into the super soldier business himself?”  Ward asked. 

“Look’s that way.” 

“Extremis also has healing properties.  That could prove very lucrative on the black market,” Coulson supplied.

“We couldn’t expect that Centipede was the only group that got their hands on the Extremis formula,” May said, offering one of her rare comments. 

Coulson moved around the table, looking up at the screen.  “He must think that FitzSimmons can help him stabilize the Extremis.  We need to find him.”

“One step ahead of you A.C.,” Skye said, pulling another picture up on the screen.  “It looks like he has a Manor less than 50 kilometers from here.”

“Let’s just hope he was stupid enough to stay there.”

___________

 

The door shut with a hiss as Fitz ran into the lab with the Chitauri helmet.  Nothing mattered now but finding a cure to the Chitauri virus. 

“I’m doing what we always do.  We’re going to fix this, together.” 

The look on his face was one of desperation and concentration as they worked to create the anti-serum.  And for a split second he felt happiness surge through him as Jemma told him that they had done it; they had cured it.  Until the rat levitated in the air just like all the others.  He buried himself back in their work, desperate to find an answer.  

And then she jumped.

Her name on his lips was a cry, a scream like he had never heard before.  He ran out of the lab, his fingers fumbling to try to get the straps of the parachute over his shoulders, the antiserum firmly in his grasp.  But he was knocked aside by Ward who grabbed the parachute and antiserum and jumped out after her.  

“It wasn’t Ward by my side in that lab, searching for a cure.” Jemma had told him later, sitting next to him on his bed.  "It wasn’t Ward giving me hope when I had none.  It was you; you’re the hero.”  The spot on Fitz’s cheek where she had kissed him with her soft lips still tingled.  He smiled as he watched her leave his bunk.  But the smile didn’t mask the sadness in his eyes. 

He wasn’t the hero of the story.  He could never protect her the way Ward had.  He would stand by her side, day after day, until finally she didn’t need him any more.

He wasn’t the hero. 

But now he had no choice.

Jemma was hit once more, her screams echoing off the stone walls.  Coulson and the team.  They weren’t coming.  Not in time.  There was no Ward to come swooping in to save the day; no Calvary to burst in at the last minute.

There was only Fitz.

As the other man started making his way towards him, Fitz knew what he had to do.  The man swung his rod, hitting Fitz in the stomach.  He suppressed his cries, doing his best to stay on his feet.  His arms and legs felt like jello, his limbs tingling and starting to go numb.  He looked up at the man with red hot anger.  He could barely move, but now was the time.  He had to do it.  They had no other options.

It was time for Fitz to be the hero.  

As the man came in for another swing, Fitz moved.  He kicked a foot out, hitting the man square in the gut.  Fitz was stronger than he looked, and, from the shocked expression on the man’s face, he had never seen the kick coming.  That gave Fitz the advantage.  Fitz hit kicked him again in the head, knocking the man unconscious.  It all happened so quickly it was a blur.  Adrenaline and blind rage surged through Fitz, pushing him to a place he had never been before.  A Fitz no one would recognize.

The men in the other cell abandoned Jemma, hearing the commotion next door.  They reached for the guns that were at their sides, but Fitz was one step ahead of them.  Fitz had already grabbed the gun of the unconscious man and fired a shot into both men, hitting them both square in the gut, sending them flying backwards.  Fitz had always been a good shot; the one, and only, part of his field assessment that he had aced.  It was all about the physics.  The force applied by the gun, the direction of the barrel, the speed of the bullet, the other elements in the room.  It was all science.  

But never before had Fitz shot a person.  

He didn’t have time to react, didn’t have time to look into Jemma’s pale face to see her reaction.  They had to run.

Fitz grabbed the key to the cell off the floor, quickly unlocking the door and running out to do the same to Jemma’s.  He ran into her cell, not realizing how many tears were streaming down his face as he grabbed her hand to pull her up.  Her body was weak, her face ghostly white, but she got enough strength to stand up and follow him out of the cell.  Fitz kept her close to him, unwilling to let her stray more than an inch from his side.  He had to protect her, he had to get her out of there.  That was his only thought; the mantra running through his head.  He kept the gun in his other hand, though he prayed he wouldn’t have to use it again.  

They were out of their cages, but it wouldn’t be long before the rest of the guards were alerted to their escape.  It wouldn’t be long before their position would be made.  

It wouldn’t be long before they came. 


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Her eyes tightly closed, Jemma tried to forget everything that was going on around her.  She tried to ignore the pain that was going through her body, tried to ignore the sounds of struggle as they began torturing Fitz too.  But her eyes flew open when she heard two gunshots.  She feared the worst immediately, that Fitz would be lying dead on the other side of the bars, but to her surprise she saw the men that were torturing her lying on the floor, blood pooling around their bodies.  Her eyes filled with fear and confusion as she looked at her now injured captors.  What had happened?  

Sounds at the bars pulled her eyes away from the men and into the eyes of Fitz.  His face was paler than normal and his eyes were bloodshot, tear tracks evident in his dirty face.  She looked from his face to the gun in his hand.  Her eyes opened wide in shock as she realized it was Fitz who had taken out the guards. Jemma was completely silent, shocked and scared, as she took Fitz hand and allowed him to help her up and out of the cell. 

As they navigated their way through the stone corridors, they stayed completely silent.  Jemma pressed her body up against Fitz, supporting herself against him.  Her body was weak.  Her legs had started to go numb except for the bottoms of her feet, which felt like she was walking in a bed of hot coals.  

But she needed Fitz more than just for physical support.  Despite the fear and surprise that had gone through her when she saw the gun in his hand, Jemma was thankful that Fitz had been there.  He was the only one who was there for her.  He was always the one there for her.  From the day they met to now, they had been at each other’s side through the thick and thin.  

Fitz was the hero of her story. 

Jemma jumped as she heard sounds from down the corridor.  She knew what that meant; their absence had been noticed.  She heard voices, loud and angry, as the guards began searching for them.  

“Come on,” Fitz said, his voice high and frantic.  

Moving as fast as her beaten body would allow, Jemma ran at Fitz’s side.  Two men came around a corner at the end of the hallway, immediately screaming at their companions that they had found them.  Jemma tried to run, but the men opened fire, sending bullets flying in their direction.  Jemma felt a bullet swish right past her head.  She could hear blood pound in her ears as terror surged through her body.  

More bullets came as they tried to run.  Fitz held up the gun to try to fire back as he pushed Jemma behind him.  Jemma felt his body go rigid and looked down to see that one of the bullets had found its target, hitting Fitz in the shoulder.  Fitz screamed in pain.  Jemma went immediately to the wound, putting her hand over it to try to stop the bleeding.  “Fitz, we need to…”

He cut her off, looking in her eyes with a determination that she had never seen before.  “No.  We don’t have time.  We need to keep going.”  She knew he was right, that they didn’t have the luxury to stay; they had to keep running.  She moved her hands away from the wound, his blood now staining her palms and shook her head almost imperceptibly. 

She took his hand again as they continued running, trying to get out the door before the men down the hallway could catch up.  She could see his other arm hanging limply at his side, blood beginning to stain his sleeve.  His fingers, though deathly white, were still wrapped around the gun handle.  They ran through the door, and took a turn down another hallway.  Their only hope was that the men would not know which way they had gone.  Jemma could hear Fitz’s breath labored in pain, but he was showing no signs of weakness.  Jemma looked around frantically, wishing that the hallways had a ‘you are here’ sign she could read.  The hallways were short, with many different paths like a maze.  It meant that hopefully they could lose their attackers, but it also meant for all they knew they were going deeper into the labyrinth.    
   
~*~*~*~*~

There was a reason that scientists belonged in the lab.  Agent May had been hesitant from the beginning with Coulson’s decision to fill his Bus with so many Agents that were not cleared for fieldwork.  They did not have the training, the expertise, for operating out in the field.  However, she had to admit that she had been surprised with how useful the scientists had been.  Each member of the team had proved themselves time and time again. That was the thing about Coulson.  People did not always understand his decisions, but he had a reason for everything.  He saw things that others did not, and so far he had been right every time.  He picked Fitz and Simmons for a reason - May just hoped that had not gotten them killed. 

“Ready?” Asked Coulson’s voice from the other end of the Bus. May just looked back at him, pulling her sunglasses down over her eyes and striding towards the door.  That was all the answer that Coulson would need.  

May had parked the Bus close enough to the Manor that they would be able to hopefully make a quick escape, but far enough that no one would see their approach.  The four remaining members of Coulson’s team left the plane and started walking toward the Manor that they hoped held their captured friends. 

“Any idea what we are going to find in there?” Ward asked, looking at the large stone Manor that was in front of them.  

"Hey, we brought the Cavalry."

The Cavalry.  May had never been a fan if the nickname, nor did she like reliving the memories that were associated with it, but she had at least come to find that the name was used with respect, even reverence, of her and her... talents.  So, except for a slow glance in her direction, May showed no emotion at Skye's words.  It had never seemed worth the time and effort to stop people from using the name.  

"Stop talking. Let's go." Coulson said to the group, but May knew he was speaking mainly to Skye.  

The team followed Coulson’s command, a hush falling over the group.  May looked around, trying to figure out what came next.  As Ward had pointed out, they didn’t know what they were going to face inside.  They had no idea what they were running head on to.  But they couldn’t leave Fitz and Simmons there.  So if it meant going in, guns a blazin’, head first in to a trap, at least they were doing so as a team.  And, no matter how much May wouldn’t show it, a team that she was proud to be part of.  

“May, take point.”

May nodded at Coulson, taking her position in the front of the group, Ward right behind her.  Coulson would take up the rear, keeping Skye safe in the middle of the pack.  May wished they could have left Skye behind, feeling her skills were better used else where than in what could very possibly be a fire fight.  But with the recent events, they didn’t want to leave he alone in the Bus and they couldn’t spare Ward.  

Keeping low to the ground, May moved along a short wall.  She saw two men standing near an entrance into the manor.  She caught Ward’s eye and gave him a small nod.  He took point with the night night pistol and took both men out quickly and quietly.  

With a clear path into the manor secured, she looked to rest of the team and began making her way inside.  Coulson had put together this team, turning them into some sort of dysfunctional family unit.  It was time to put their family back together.   
   
~*~*~*~

There were no words that could describe the pain that was going through Fitz’s body.  It took every ounce of his concentration not to give into the specks of darkness that dotted his vision.  The only thing keeping him going was the same mantra as before: He had to protect her; he had to get her out of there.  The words were a chorus in his head, giving him the strength to keep moving.  He couldn’t let himself think of anything else.  He couldn’t let himself think of the guards that were probably on their tail, chasing them down at any minute.  He couldn’t give into the pain that was in his arm.  He could only think: he had to protect her; he had to get her out of there.      
   
Fitz was certain that they were just turning around in circles.  Every hallway had looked identical, every corridor the same.  They were getting nowhere.  They were lost.  Fitz was beginning to think he had failed her again.  Possibly just doomed her to an even worse fate because of his attempt to get her out.  The guards were sure to come up on them soon, dragging them back to the cells.  That was their fate.

His hand still firmly inside Jemma’s, Fitz moved down one of the other passageways.  At first it looked just like every other hallway they had been in, until Fitz saw a door at the end.  The door was made of a thick wood, but at the very bottom of it, Fitz could see the smallest bit of light coming through.  They had done it.  They had found the literal light at the end of the tunnel.  

But Fitz knew it was too good to be true.  

Right as they were about to make it to the door, one of the guards came up, his gun at the ready.  Fitz pulled his gun up with his injured arm, his arm shaking out of weakness.  He was about to pull the trigger, but the man fell back, shot square in the head.  Fitz looked at the man for a second, not comprehending what had just happened, before turning to see Ward in front of them holding the night night gun.  

“About bloody time!” Was all Fitz could say, “Took you damn well long enough.”  

Jemma next to him just sighed in relief, sinking back into Fitz’s body.  Fitz dropped the gun letting it crash to the stone floor, his fingers now completely numb.  Skye had run around, as did Ward, trying to take Jemma away from him, taking the burden of her weight off of him.  But Fitz wouldn’t allow it.  He gave them a look that clearly said ‘back off,’ and Jemma even budge from his side.  They were together; they had done this together.  He wasn’t going to trust Jemma to anyone else but himself.  

His arm dangled uselessly by his side as he and Jemma moved out of the door into the bright sun, now with the rest of the team to assist them.  The sudden change of light almost blinded him.  He blinked furiously trying to regain his vision.  Skye stayed close to them, but she didn’t try to help them again, allowing Fitz to continue supporting Jemma.  They met some resistance, but with their new back up it was easily taken care of.  All Fitz had to worry about now was getting Jemma onto the plane. 

It was a short walk to the Bus and when Fitz finally saw the large jet he let out a sigh of relief.  They boarded quickly, May immediately going to take off and get them out of that god-forsaken place.  Fitz moved with Jemma and sat down on one of the benches.  Finally sure that she was safe he was able to relax, though he did not release her hand, and slowly allowed his body to slip off into the darkness.  


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Jemma Simmons was having a dream.

No. Jemma Simmons was having a nightmare.

She was running through stone hallways, Fitz's hand in hers.  People were chasing them, firing guns in their direction.  There was blood on her hands, the same blood that was running down Fitz's arm.  Jemma could feel her heart pounding like it never had before. 

Then suddenly, by some miracle they were safe.  They were back on the Bus.  They were out of danger.

Jemma allowed her body to sink next to Fitz, but suddenly his body had gone limp next to him. Jemma turned to him, a fresh wave of fear filling her. His face was pale and his hands were clammy. There was blood staining his shirt from where the bullet had hit him in the shoulder. Jemma knew immediately that he was going into shock. They were still not safe. They would never be safe. 

Adrenaline once again coursed through Jemma’s body. She got up and moved to Fitz’s aide, doing anything she could while May flew them to the nearest SHIELD hospital. She shouted orders at the others, he voice stronger than her fragile body should have allowed. She pulled Fitz onto the floor, keeping his feet elevated to try to increase blood flow in his body. Using a clean dressing, she crouched next to him, trying her best to stop the wound from bleeding further. 

Jemma didn’t even realize that May had landed the plane, not until she was being pushed aside by a SHIELD medic. But despite the demands of the medics, she wouldn’t budge from his side. He didn’t leave her; she couldn’t leave him. 

“Miss, we need you to back away and come with us.”

Jemma ignored the voices, ignored them trying to pull her from Fitz side while they loaded him up on a stretcher. She ignored them as they tried to get her to come with them to be checked out herself. There was only one thing that mattered to her, and that was Fitz. Everyone else was a blur of color and sound. She fought and screamed at the faceless people. She couldn’t let them take Fitz from her. Not again. She felt Coulson’s strong, calm hand on her shoulder, but Jemma couldn’t be reached. She was unraveling as she watched them take Fitz. 

“Jemma, we need you to calm down. They need to take Fitz now.”

Jemma didn’t even recognize Coulson’s calming voice, all she saw were the medics rolling Fitz away from her. She screamed back, “No!” thrashing out and trying to get to Fitz. 

A needle pierced her arm and suddenly her head was swimming. May was holding a sedative in her hand. Jemma looked back at May, a look of betrayal on her face, as she slipped off into darkness.

Jemma moved her hand, her fingers brushing against something. “Fitz?” She asked immediately, blinking her eyes open. 

“Jemma!” Skye was leaning on the bed, looking at her in relief. “I’m so glad you are okay. We were all so worried.” 

Skye sat up and gave Jemma a hug. Jemma winced slightly, her body still aching, but she felt a little better. Jemma moved up the pillows a bit and looked at Skye, one thing on her mind. “Where is Fitz? Is he okay?” She searched Skye’s face for any clues on how he was doing. 

Skye had a small smile on her face; probably not surprised that Fitz was the first thing that Jemma asked about. “He is okay. They had to do surgery on his arm to remove the bullet and do some repair, but he did well. He is in the room next door.” 

“I need to see him.”

“Jemma, you need to rest too. Fitz is fine, Ward is with him.”

Jemma knew that Skye was right. Despite feeling slightly stronger after resting and getting some fluids she could still feel her body aching. She knew enough to know the effect that the electricity had had on her body. She was lucky just to be alive. It would take awhile before she would be back one hundred percent. But that didn’t matter. She had tunnel vision. “I need to see him,” Jemma repeated. “I need to see for myself that he is okay.”

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Fitz slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a sterile, white hospital room. He heard the beeping of machines, and from the feeling of the electrodes on his chest he knew that it was monitoring his own vitals. Slowly he pushed himself up and looked around the room. He saw Ward sitting in an armchair in the cover; his head back against the wall. 

“Where’s Jemma?”

Fitz’s question caused Ward to open his eyes and look at him. “Fitz. Good to have you back with us.” 

“Where’s Jemma?” 

“She is fine; she has the room right next door.” Ward stood up from his chair and moved to the foot of Fitz’s bed. “You gave us all quite a scare. Simmons lost it. She wouldn’t leave your side; May had to sedate her to get her to calm down.”

“May what?” Fitz asked in surprise, an edge in his voice. He knew Jemma could sometimes be a little high strung, but did May really have to sedate her? That seemed a bit extreme. What had she done?

“It was for her own good,” Ward replied calmly, obviously sensing Fitz’s displeasure. “She needed to get herself checked out. She has some electrical burns and was treated for dehydration and exhaustion. She needed to rest.”

“I want to see her,” Fitz said, starting to sit completely up in the bed. He moved his arm and gasped as searing pain radiated down it. 

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Ward replied matter-of-factly. “You were shot Fitz. They did surgery to remove the bullet. I don’t think Simmons would be very happy if you ripped open your stitches.”

Fitz fixed him back with an annoyed, angry glare, but he didn’t argue. Fitz hated when Ward was right. He allowed his body to sink back into the uncomfortable hospital mattress. “Where is everyone else? Did they get the bastard who did this?” 

“Coulson called in a SHIELD strike team that came in right after we got you out. Coulson is with them now debriefing. We will learn more about what happened later. May has been here the whole time, right outside the door so she could watch both rooms. Skye is with Simmons.”

Fitz nodded his head slowly, taking in all of the information. He could imagine May sitting outside the door, silently protecting the rooms the way May always did. Fitz didn’t know the pilot well, then a gain few did, but he knew despite her icy exterior she was always there for the team. And he was relieved that even if he couldn’t go to her, at least Jemma wasn’t alone. But it was disconcerting that Ward didn’t have more information from the Strike team. What were they going to do if those people were still out there?

Ward obviously sensed Fitz’s mood, cause he gave him the closest thing to a comforting smile that Ward could muster. “It will all work out. SHIELD has some of the best people on this. They won’t take this threat lying down.”

Fitz gave him back a tight smile, nodding his head. He would have to trust in Coulson and the rest of SHIELD.

“You did well.”

“What?” Fitz looked back at Ward, confused. 

“You had already made an escape before we came. We just helped you out the front door. It was you who saved Simmons.”

Fitz looked back, stunned. Was Ward complimenting him? “I guess so,” was all he could say in return, but he gave Ward back a grateful smile. Fitz wasn’t used to being the hero. 

The room went silent for a minute, neither Ward nor Fitz all that talkative. Then a sound from the door broke the silence. 

“Fitz?”

Fitz looked over to the doorway and saw Jemma sitting in a wheelchair, Skye right behind them.

“Jemma,” Fitz breathed out in relief. She had gained some of her color back, though she was still paler than usual. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her as Skye pushed her in the room and up to the bed. 

“I couldn’t stop her,” Skye said with a little smile as she watched the two scientists reunion. 

“We will let you two be,” Ward said, giving Skye a pointed look. Skye was still hanging out by Jemma’s wheelchair, obviously wanting to continue watching the show. Ward walked over and took Skye by the shoulders, leading her out of the room. “Glad you two are better,” he said, with a small smile as he and Skye left the room, closing the door behind them. 

Fitz stared at the door for a split second before turning his attention fully to Jemma. He was surprised to see that there were already tears in her eyes. 

“Oh Fitz, you had me so worried.” Her voice was high and frantic as she spoke. 

Fitz shifted slightly and grabbed the hand that she had placed on his bed. “Everything is okay now, we are safe.”

“But, you were shot!”

“I know,” he said simply. The pain in his bandaged arm would not let him forget that fact, but he put on his best reassuring smile. “The doctors did a good job of patching me up; I’ll be fine.” He squeezed her hand gently, searching her with his eyes. 

They sat in silence for a short while, both of them lost in the horrors of the past day. Fitz could still hear Jemma’s screams resonate in his ears. Reflexively he tightened his grip on her hand, wanting to prove to himself that she was still next to him, safe. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, breaking the silence, fresh tears welling in her eyes.

“Sorry for what?” Fitz asked, not sure what she was talking about. What did she have to be sorry about? 

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. You didn’t even want to go out into the field; I pushed you. Maybe I shouldn’t have. You…You could have died.”

Biting back tears of his own, Fitz shifted on the bed again so he could be closer to her. “You have nothing to apologize for. I wouldn’t trade these past months with you for anything. We have seen things that most people couldn’t even dream about. We can actually see our work be put to the test everyday. And we get to do it all together.”

Jemma gave him back a weak smile. Fitz wished there was more he could say to reassure her. She was right; he had never wanted to go into the field. He had gone for one reason and one reason only – Her. But she had opened his eyes to so much. She had shown him a world past the lab. Yes, it was a dangerous world, but it had been filled with thrills and adventures. 

“I put you in danger; you could have died!” 

“But I didn’t. We made it out.” Fitz had a tight look on his face. The whole time they were there he had never cared about his own safety, only hers. It had been torture to see her hurt, more painful than anything that they could have done to him. He would have been okay with dying if it would have meant her safety. 

“I keep hearing the gun and seeing…”

“Come here,” he said, cutting her off. He shifted again, but this time moved to the other side of the bed. He pulled her towards him. She carefully got out of the wheelchair and moved to lie down next to him. Fitz pushed the covers so that they were covering both of them as she moved to lay her head on his chest. It was the most comfortable that Fitz had been since the whole ordeal had happened. Jemma was right beside him, where he knew she was safe. He kissed her head and smoothed down her hair, but she moved, turning to look at him. 

“Thank you,” she said, her voice small and weak. 

So many emotions went behind those two little words. She settled herself back down, her head on his chest and his body wrapped in his good arm. Fitz sighed, looking up on the ceiling, thinking of all of the things he wanted to tell her – all of the things that he had wanted to tell her for years. But when he turned to look at her again he could see her eyes were closed and her breathing was calm and steady. He smiled and let his body relax fully against the mattress as he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Time passed rather quickly on the Bus; Fitz was grateful for that fact. Since he and Jemma had been released from the hospital he had not slept well. Every time he closed his eyes he heard Jemma's pained screams. Every time someone moved unexpectedly he would jump, thinking that something bad was about to happen. He had gone through the same thing after the incident with the Chitauri virus. He didn't want to close his eyes; he didn't want it all to come back.

So he worked. Tinkering in the lab was the one thing that he still had control of. Well... at least some control. 

“Dammit!" He yelled in frustration as he dropped the piece he was working on. His right arm was still in a sling, making everything he did that much harder. He began pulling at the sling in frustration taking his arm out of it.

“Fitz!" Jemma had taken her concentration away from her microscope to admonish him yet again for removing the sling. 

"I can't work with it on, Jem," he wined back.

"It's not going to heal properly if you don't keep it on, now is it."

"I can manage perfectly fine without it, thank you," he replied stubbornly. Thankfully, all he received back from Jemma was an eye roll. 

He set the sling on the lab table and bent down to grab the trinket he dropped. He gasped as a searing pain went up his arm. "Not a bloody word," he said, seeing the 'I told you so' look on her face. He wished he could be stronger, wished he could work through and mask his pain like Ward. Ward was constantly getting himself shot and hurt and he could do a hell of a lot more than pick something up without crying in pain. But Fitz knew defeat when he saw it and began putting the sling back on.

Jemma came over to him and helped wrap the sling back around his arm. The touch of her fingers sent little bits of electricity through his arm as she brushed it. She was standing so close. Without thinking his hand moved to her face, brushing down the remnants of one of the cuts she had. The scars were beginning to fade, but he could still see the effects of their recent ordeal in her eyes. His hand continued mindlessly tracing down her cheek. He was about to pull her close to him when he snapped himself out of it, moving away from her quickly. The tips of his ears were burning hot as he turned away. "Did, you finish recalibrating Sleepy?”

“Uh…” She said, almost sounding like she was out of breath. “Yes, here.” She handed him the tablet and went back to the microscope. 

They worked in complete silence, which for them was unusual, but they were both burying themselves in their work, desperate not to think about past events. Fitz continued fighting with the sling, but he didn’t dare take it off again, not with Jemma in the room. He picked up the Night-Night gun and ran his hand over it. It was amazing that everything they had gone through had started because of the dendrotoxin in the gun. 

“They still haven’t caught him.”

“I know,” Fitz said simply, turning to see Jemma looking at him and the Night-Night gun. He could see the fear and worry on her face. Like him, she had not been happy when Coulson had returned saying that while many of Daecher’s men had been taken into SHIELD custody, Daecher had gone underground. He was still out there somewhere and Fitz was not going to sleep well until he was found.

“Do you think he will…”

“Stop, Jemma, we are safe,” Fitz said, cutting her off. He moved back over to her, pulling her close once more. “I won’t let anything happen to us again.”

She shook her head, looking up at him with her hazel eyes. He suddenly had a strong urge to kiss her – to finally give in to the years of wishing he could. Finally show her his true feelings and how far he would go to make sure that she was protected. 

He was about to pull her into him when a voice came from the doorway, “FitzSimmons, briefing.”

Fitz pulled away quickly, his face completely red; as both he and Jemma told Coulson they were on their way. Fitz didn’t look back at Jemma, embarrassed about how close he had gotten, he just grabbed his stuff and walked out of the lab.

 

XXXXXXXX

Lying on her bed, Jemma just stared up at the ceiling. She had been having a dreadful time sleeping and she knew Fitz had been having the same troubles. Originally it had been because of their time spent in Daecher's Manor, but tonight it was for a totally different reason. Jemma didn't know what it was but something seemed different with Fitz. Or for once she was finally letting herself see him. 

She had seen many different sides of her best friend through the years. She had seen him happy, sad, angry, flustered, in control and even protective. But since starting Coulson's team she had seen even more. Fitz really was there for her every time. She had seen it first with the Chitauri virus, when he broke the quarantine to work by her side for a cure. Now she saw it again as he risked his life to get them out of the Manor, even taking a bullet in the process. She could continue to tell herself that he was just showing how good of a friend he was, that they were teammates who had one another’s back. But she knew she was lying to herself; she knew that it went so much deeper than that.

And she knew she felt the same way.

Then that afternoon in the lab, it had started off no different than any of the other millions of times they had worked together. But she could still feel the spot where his fingers brushed her face. She could still feel the heat of his breath on her cheek as he moved in closer. Suddenly the years of denying that there was anything going on between her and Fitz didn't make since. Suddenly the years of pushing down her own feelings and masking them in friendship just seemed pointless.

How could she have been so clueless? How could she not see what was right on front of her the whole time? 

Positive that sleep was once again out of her grasp, Jemma slipped out of her pod and made her way over to Fitz’s. She knocked quietly, hoping that she didn’t wake him up. 

The door opened to Fitz standing there in pajama pants and a t-shirt, but still very much awake. “Jemma? Is everything okay?” He asked, a worried look on his face. 

“Everything’s fine, I just can’t sleep,” she replied. 

“Me neither.” 

He backed up from the door so Jemma could walk into his pod. She smiled as she looked around, seeing the pictures of the two of them in the various locations that their adventures had taken them. They looked so happy together. They had always been happy together. She reached out and stroked the head of a small monkey stuffed animal that she had given him for his birthday years ago. Picking it up, she held it close to her. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have…”

“No, I’m glad you came,” he said, cutting her off. He sat down on the edge of his bed and patted his hand next to him, offering her a seat. She smiled weakly back at him and accepted, sitting down and staring at the opposite wall, still holding the stuffed monkey. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes, for once neither of them knowing what to say. But Jemma knew what had brought her there. Building her confidence, she finally turned to Fitz and looked straight at him. She searched him with her eyes, getting back a confused look from him. “Fitz,” she said quietly. “I want to try something.”

“What do you want to…”

But the rest of Fitz’s sentence was cut off as Jemma leaned over and kissed him. Not on the cheek, not on the forehead, but on the lips. She held the kiss for a split second, feeling his soft lips under hers before pulling herself away. Her head was buzzing and her face was bright red. Had she really just done that? Had she really just kissed Fitz? She would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about it before, but her own boldness was now surprising her. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” But it was Fitz’s turn to cut her off, once again closing the distance between them and capturing her lips in his. The contact sent a shiver down her spine. Her hands automatically went around him as her fingers tangled in her curly hair. She was no longer thinking about the fact that this was Fitz, that this was her best friend. She was no longer worried about what it would mean to their relationship. It felt so right; how could it not be? 

Jemma was breathless when they finally parted. They still sat close together, their eyes locked on one another. “Leo, I…”

“I know.”

Jemma’s lips parted in a smile that was soon matched by Fitz. She leaned in for one last soft kiss before he pushed himself back on his bunk and laid down. She followed, feeling his arms go around her. Wrapped in Fitz’s arms, it was the most comfortable she had been since the hospital. It didn’t take long for her eyelids to become heavy and drift shut, finally allowing her to float off to sleep.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Opening her eyes slowly, it took Jemma a moment to realize she was in Fitz’s bunk. The memories of the night before flooded her insistently. She had kissed him; she had kissed Fitz. And he had kissed her back. In all of their years of friendship, nothing like that had ever happened. Sure, there had been a time that she had wanted it more than anything, but the longer they were friends the harder she buried her feelings. She had never thought he had felt the same way and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin her friendship. Or get her heart broken. 

Had it been just them caught up in the moment? Had it actually meant something? And to that extent – what did it mean? She shifted slightly, turning to see Fitz still fast asleep. He looked so peaceful, lying there with a small smile on his face. It made Jemma wonder what he was thinking about. Was he thinking about her? Stop! She couldn’t get herself worked up. This was Fitz – her best friend, her partner. Maybe it meant something; maybe it didn’t – either way she couldn’t lose Fitz in her life.

Jemma quietly slipped out of the bunk to make the trek back to her own bunk. The door slid open and she tiptoed out. A small smile tugged at her lips until she looked up and saw Skye and Ward staring back at her in shock. Immediately her smile faded and her face flushed. She knew what this must look like. Her hair was sticking up in weird ways and her shirt was still wrapped around her waste. “I… uh… we… uh…” was all she could say as she dashed into her own bunk.

She was sitting on her bed, trying to work through her emotions, when a knock came at her door. She stood up and slid open the door, not surprised to see Skye standing there with a silly grin on her face. 

“Hello, Skye,” she said simply, backing up so Skye could come in. 

“Did you spend the night with Fitz?” Skye asked immediately, practically beaming. 

“Yes.”

“Did you two…”

“No,” Jemma said quickly. “No, nothing like that. I just… I couldn’t sleep.” 

“Nothing like that?” Skye asked, a hopeful look in her eyes. Obviously the Bus didn’t already have enough entertainment for her, so she wanted to turn in into a daytime drama. 

“No…” Jemma replied, but she was a terrible liar and the look on her face had not fooled Skye. Skye gave her back a disbelieving look that Jemma couldn’t resist giving into. “Okay… we kissed.”

“He finally kissed you!” Skye said, almost bouncing off the walls in excitement. 

“No, well, yes, but… I kissed him. Wait… what do you mean by finally?” Jemma watched the hacker closely. Why had she been so sure that Fitz would be the one to kiss her? There had never been any signs that he had been attracted to her. But one look at Skye and Jemma knew she had obviously missed something. 

“Jemma.” The way Skye said her name, Jemma almost felt like she was a child getting a lesson from an older, wiser classmate. It was almost patronizing, but Jemma had to admit that when it came to things like this, well… she was just a child. “Have you not seen the way he looks at you?”

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“Me?” Skye replied with a laugh. “Sure, he looked at me the same way any guy watches an attractive woman, but when he looks at you it is that and so much more.” 

Jemma watched Skye carefully. What was it like to have the confidence that she had, to be used to guys fawning all over you and be able to just laugh off a compliment? Jemma had never considered herself pretty, especially when compared to girls like Skye. Skye radiated that confidence, which only added to her physical beauty. Jemma gave a derisive snort as she thought about Fitz ever looking at her the way that he had looked at Skye.

“Seriously, Jemma.” Jemma actually blinked as she saw the sincerity in Skye’s eyes. “Fitz loves you.”

Jemma sat quietly on her bed, letting the words sink in. Maybe Skye was right. Maybe on some unconscious level she had always known that. And maybe there was even a part of her that had always felt the same way.

Suddenly the door opened and Fitz was standing there, dressed in his usual tie and sweater. He looked surprised to see Skye in there too, but his eyes went straight to Jemma. “Coulson has called a team meeting. They found Daecher.”

 

XXXXXXX

 

Coulson stood at the holographic projection table, waiting for the rest of the team to show up. Slowly they began filing in one by one. Coulson saw a sour look on Fitz’s face as he peered up at a picture of the man that had abducted them. Coulson could sympathize with what Fitz must be feeling, but he also hoped that Fitz could keep it together while they tried to find Daecher. The last thing he needed was for Fitz to do something that would compromise their mission. 

Skye walked in, followed closely by Simmons. Coulson watched as the color drained from Simmon’s face as she looked up at Daecher’s picture. Simmons walked over and took her usual place by Fitz’s side. The last person to walk in was May, who Coulson had a feeling had been waiting in the hallway until everyone showed up so she could avoid any downtime small talk. 

“Right,” Coulson began, getting right to business. “As you all know, Benedikt Daecher was not in the Manor when SHIELD raided it shortly after FitzSimmons’ retrieval. We managed to freeze his assets and holdings, but a man like Daecher always has money tucked away that even SHIELD couldn’t control. He went underground, but we were able to track him down. Thanks to some digging that Skye was able to do, we think we have a pretty good idea where he is. We are going now to try to collect him.”

“What can we do?” Fitz asked, his voice harder than Coulson usually heard it.

“FitzSimmons, I need you to take a look at this.” He handed them a drive. “This is all of the information that we dug up about what Daecher has been up to. He is not as far along as Centipede is, which is why he needed you two, but he still has gotten pretty far. You know the science behind this stuff better than anyone. I need you to find out what he knows and what he is still missing.”

Coulson turned his attention to Skye. He was about to say something when Fitz broke in. 

“What about when we get there?” Coulson turned to look back at Fitz. “I want to help when we go get this bastard.” 

Coulson regarded Fitz, his lips closed tight. He recognized the look in Fitz’s eyes; it was the same look that every agent got when they were on a revenge mission. “WE will see, but for now, I need you to work on this.” 

Fitz shook his head slowly.

Satisfied that Fitz would not break in again, Coulson turned to Skye. “Skye, I need you to continue looking into any and all associates of Mr. Daecher. No matter how clean they look we need to check them out. It is imperative that we know if Daecher sold any information to anyone else. The last thing we need is to take him into custody but still have this information out there. We need to nip it all now.

“Okay, you three may go,” Coulson said, looking at FitzSimmons and Skye. He waited quietly for the three youngest members of the team to leave before turning to look at Ward and May.

“Sir, are you really going to let Fitz go after Daecher with us.”

Coulson looked at Ward, contemplating the best way to answer his question. “I don’t know yet.”

“He’s only going to get in the way.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. We have already seen what Fitz can do when he is motivated, and well… I don’t think I have ever seen him so motivated. I think we would be surprised at what he could do.” 

Coulson had watched his team for months. He knew more about each one of them than he would ever let on. He knew Fitz and he was sure he had a pretty good idea of what happened when they were in Daecher’s possession. Fitz would do anything for Simmons – Fitz would do anything for love.


	10. Chapter Ten

After being released by Coulson, Jemma silently followed Fitz into their lab. Her eyes trailed over him, Skye’s words still echoing in her ears. Could Skye be right? Did Fitz actually have feelings for her that went beyond friendship? Jemma had worked so hard at making sure that everyone knew that she and Fitz were just friends, that she didn’t even realize that she had buried her own feelings. 

Jemma opened her mouth, wondering if now was the time to discuss what had happened the night before. There were so many things that they needed to work out – complicated emotions that Jemma wasn’t even sure she understood. But one look at Fitz and she closed her mouth again. His jaw was set and his brows were furrowed as he concentrated on the data that Coulson had given them. 

Daecher.

That was the only thing on Fitz’s mind and Jemma knew it. She had seen this level of concentration before, but this wasn’t over some impossible homework problem or scientific dilemma – it was the desire for revenge. She had seen behavior similar to this when Centipede had taken Coulson. Suddenly Fitz had become shorter, harder and out for blood. The same Fitz was back. Jemma remembered Fitz holding the gun, Daecher’s men lying in pools of blood. He had done what had to be done to facilitate their escape – but at what cost? Now that she was finally opening herself up to the possibility that they could be more, would she lose Fitz to his anger?

Jemma got to work, the silence in the lab deafening. Once again she was just ‘Simmons.’ They talked only when they had to, discussing their work and nothing more. Jemma occasionally glanced in Fitz’s direction, noticing that he was doing the same. But they just continued working, neither of them breaking through the tension.

XXXX

 

The humming of the engine suddenly changed, signaling that the Bus was making its decent. They were finally there; they were finally going to get Daecher. The end of this nightmare was so close that Fitz could taste it. 

Fitz was standing in front of Coulson, hoping that he had given more thought to Fitz’s desire to join the ground team. This had all started with him and Jemma; Fitz had to see this through. 

“I don’t like this idea.”

“Sir, I need to go. I will not get in the way.” Fitz eyes showed his sincerity as he pleaded with Coulson. 

“Okay. Be geared up and ready in five minutes.”

“Thank you, sir.” Fitz didn’t have a smile on his face, but instead a look of determination, as he turned and quickly went to his bunk. He was packing any essentials he could think of – a night-night gun, an emp generator, and various other handy gadgets – when he heard a sound at his door. 

Jemma was standing in the doorway, a look of fear on her face. “Fitz, don’t go. Don’t go up against them again. I can’t…”

Fitz stood frozen in place, his eyes searching Jemma. There were so many things unsaid between them, so many emotions that he had never expressed. The previous night had been a break through – the first time that he felt that there was a chance that she felt the same way. But she had to understand that no matter what happened between them this was something he had to do. He had to prove to himself that he belonged on this team just as much as anyone else. He had to prove to himself that for once he would not be the one making the mistakes that cost everyone else pain.

He moved close to her, taking her hands, trying to show Jemma his best supportive face – instead of the one that was twisted in anger and guilt over Daecher. “I have to do this, Jemma. The rest of the team will have my back; you know that.”

Fitz stood in silence for a bit, the awkward tension from before still settling around them. Finally gaining the same courage that Jemma had shown the previous night; Fitz looked Jemma straight in the eyes. “I love you.”

Jemma blinked back at him, surprise filling her face. But her surprise slowly changed to a soft smile, like a dawn of realization was coming over her. “I love you, too.” The response was quiet, but unmistakable. 

Did she really mean it? A wave of relief washed over Fitz as he smiled. For a moment he forgot about Daecher. For a moment he forgot about SHIELD. For a moment he just stood, captivated by how perfect the moment was. 

“Time to go.” Fitz looked up to see Ward standing behind Jemma, beckoning Fitz to come. 

Fitz looked at Jemma, whose face was once again marred with nerves. “We will be fine, don’t worry.” He passed her and moved out of his room, swinging his backpack on his shoulders. With one last glance at Jemma, Fitz turned to Ward, the determination set back on his face. “Let’s go.”

XXXXX

 

It didn’t take the team long to get down to the compound where Daecher was hiding out. Skye and Jemma had stayed behind in the Bus to run coms and any other troubleshooting that would be needed. Fitz knew that this was not his place – that he should be by Jemma’s side in the Bus, letting the muscles take care of things. But he was ready. The night-night gun poised in his hand, Fitz waited for Coulson to call the orders. 

“Fitz, can you knock out any communications in the compound.”

“Easily,” he replied, slipping a gadget out of his bag and punching a few keys. After all, while he could not be counted on for hand-to hand combat, he was the gadget guy. 

They made their approach inside the compound silently, Fitz doing his best to interpret the hand gestures that the other’s used to communicate. However, it wasn’t silent for long. 

An alarm sounded, almost scaring Fitz out of his skin. Guards rounded the corner, shouting at each other in German, but – though out manned and out gunned – May and Ward did what they do best and took care of them quickly and effectively. No matter how many times he had seen them work, Fitz was stunned. 

With the rest of the team there as backup, Fitz was able to move around a lot easier than the first time that he had been in one of Daecher’s compounds. Anyone they met was quickly neutralized with dendrotoxin. 

“There is a helicopter pad on the other side of the building.” Skye’s voice came over the com as she ran backup from the safety of the bus. Fitz could only imagine what Jemma was doing, wondering if she was sitting on the edge of her seat worrying about their safety. His safety. 

“We need to get there before Daecher does,” Coulson said, to everyone else’s agreement. With Skye barking directions to them through the coms, they hurried through the compound and out one of the side doors. They were right on time, as Daecher was being led to the helicopter by a few men, the blades already turning. Ward took out the men around him and May blocked the entrance to the helicopter. 

Daecher turned slowly around to look at the SHIELD Agents, however his face didn’t look like one of defeat. Instead it was the opposite, he just smiled and chuckled. The same smile that he had as he watched Jemma be beaten. As his eyes moved to Fitz the smile only got larger. “Mr. Fitz, nice to see you again. I see you brought some friends.”

“I did,” Fitz said, trying not to let him get too far under his skin. “You won’t have any friends where you are going.”

Daecher just smiled back. Coulson moved behind Daecher, forcing his hands behind his back and zip-tying them together. 

Fitz finally let himself take a sigh of relief. It was over. Daecher was in SHIELD custody. Backup was coming to take care of the rest of Daecher’s men. Finally Fitz could start to put this behind him. They were safe.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Jemma stood in the cargo hold, waiting anxiously for the team to return.  She wrung her hands in front of her nervously as she saw the back SUV slide into view.   
“They’re fine,” she heard Skye say from her side, but she kept her eyes on the SUV.   
Jemma knew Skye was right.  They had been on coms with them the whole mission, she had heard that it had been a success, but she would not feel relieved until she saw Fitz walk up the ramp.  She wanted to know that it was over, that Daecher was in custody, but more importantly she wanted to know that Fitz was safe. 

The doors to the SUV opened slowly and Fitz stepped out.  The first thing his eyes locked onto was Jemma.  She gave him a small smile, finally allowing her body to relax.  He moved to her, taking a position by her side as the rest of the team filed out.  Ward came last, escorting Daecher through the cargo hold towards the holding cell.  Jemma instinctually grabbed Fitz’s hand, holding it tight as Daecher turned and smiled in their direction.  Fitz squeezed her hand back soothingly, but his eyes were now locked on Daecher as he disappeared through the door with Ward. 

Coulson and May followed Ward, leaving only Skye in the hold with them.  Jemma’s eyes slid towards the hacker, who was looking back and forth between Jemma and Fitz with a knowing smile.  Skye nudged the air in Jemma’s direction, a large smile on her face.  Fitz didn’t catch the look, his eyes still locked on the door where the others had disappeared.  

“Well, I’m going to go see if the others need me,” Skye said, walking backwards towards the door.  “You two have fun now… just not too much fun,” she continued with a wink in Jemma’s direction. 

Finally alone, Jemma turned to look at Fitz.  His eyes slowly slid from the door to hers, his attention now her.  Jemma nervously fidgeted, swinging her arm where their fingers were still interlaced.  “Well done, Fitz,” she said simply, giving him a small smile.  “Were there any complications?”

He smiled back.  “None.  I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

“You didn’t open up any of your stitches did you?”

“No, my arm is fine.”

“But it was a bullet wound.  It was far too early for you to be out of the sling”

“Jemma, I told you, it’s fine.  See?”  He moved his arm up and down, showing her the improved range of motion, his eyes still on hers.

She avoided his gaze, her voice slightly higher than normal as she continued questioning him.  “Are you sure, I really should take a look.”

“Jemma, stop.”

Reacting immediately to his words she looked up at him.  Within moments he had closed the space between them, his lips capturing hers.  Her hands slid behind his neck as she felt his go around her waist.  She allowed herself to relax into him, finally let the rest of her tension go, the tension that she had been carrying ever since Daecher had taken them.  

Jemma deepened the kiss, not ready for it to be over.  Neither of them seemed to care that they were in the middle of the cargo hold where anyone could walk in.  Slowly, they parted, Jemma taking a breath and sighing it out. 

“I love you,” she said breathlessly, echoing the words that they had shared before he left.  Even as she said the three little words she was coming to the full realization of what they meant.  It wasn’t because of the moment.  It wasn’t because Fitz had been there to save her.  It was because Fitz had always been there.  He had been by her side through everything.  He had been her rock for years and she hadn’t even realized how much she had leaned on him until now.  

 

“I love you, too,” he replied back with a smile. 

 

XXXX

 

Fitz walked into the lab and smiled as he saw Jemma - his best friend, confidant, lab partner, and the woman he loved.  He walked behind her as she studied a sample that they had been working on for Coulson.  “How is it going?” He asked, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze as he leaned over to see what she was looking at.  

She looked up with him, her head lamp shining in his eyes.  “Well.  Very well in fact, I think I found something.”  

Fitz nodded along and added his own thoughts and comments as Jemma regaled him with her findings.  They both felt so much at ease, comfortable and confident.  You would have never known that it had only been twenty-four hours since they the Bus had left the classified SHIELD compound where they had dropped off Deacher.  Things were finally starting to feel like they were normal again.

Except for one thing. 

After years of hiding his true feelings, Fitz had finally told Jemma exactly how he felt and - to his genuine surprise - had his feelings reciprocated.  Fitz had never been so happy.  He no longer had to hide his feelings from her, masquerading as her best friend.  He knew that they had to be careful because of SHIELD’s anti-fraternization rules, but even SHIELD would be crazy to break up their star team. 

“What do you say to a Dr. Who marathon?”  Fitz asked, removing her headlamp.  “Time to take a break.”

“That sounds great.”

“Good, I’ll get the pretzels,”  Fitz said with a smile as he dashed off to the kitchen.  Moments later he met Jemma in her bunk, holding a bowl of pretzels precariously placed on top of his Dr. Who DVD box set.   He set the pretzels down on the bed and placed a DVD in the player before moving to join Jemma on her bed.  He let her snuggle into his arms and lean her head up against his chest.  Jemma was safe, Daecher was gone, SHIELD had prevailed again.  It was the most comfortable he had ever been. 

 

XXXX

 

Coulson sat alone in his office, Dvorak’s ‘Cello Concerto in B Minor’ playing quietly in the background as he shuffled through paperwork.  Coulson didn’t want to admit how close of a call the past few days had been.  He had known that when he took on non-combat ready members to his team that there would be moments like this.  But FitzSimmons had shown more courage and strength than he ever could have asked of his team. 

So now he could finally rest comfortably, his team was safe and the man responsible had been put away. 

SHIELD had taken control of all of Daecher’s assets, even the ones that he thought he had hidden. SHIELD had taken care of them all. They had managed to foil his plans – Coulson just wished that Centipede would turn out to be as easy to dismantle. 

About to close the file on Daecher for good, Coulson grabbed his phone. “Agent Pierson, please.”

“Pierson speaking.”

“Pierson, it’s Coulson. I just wanted to check on the status of Benedikt Daecher.”

“Benedikt Daecher?”

“Yes.”

“We have no record of a Benedikt Daecher.”

Coulson felt his stomach drop to his shoes. “You… you what?” he stammered. “We dropped him off yesterday, just got back in the air ourselves.”

“I’m sorry Agent Coulson. But there is no record of anyone being transferred here in the last three days.”

“Double check. Again,” Coulson replied, a hard edge entering his usually calm voice. “He must be found.” He put the phone back on the receiver with a crash as he stared into the open folder on his desk - the open folder that contained Daecher’s picture, which silently mocking him. 

The End.


End file.
